I think Jack is getting a bad cold. Jack thinks he's getting one too.
He said he didn't feel good before work this morning and was still wrapped in a blanket in the recliner when I left the house. At that point it was just a general, "I don't feel good" kind of thing that doesn't arounse too much concern, but he said he was still feeling bad when I talked to him at lunch.
Now the sneezing and snotting have started, and a few minutes ago he said that his eyes have begun to get watery and light-sensitive. This is just that time of year for such as that, and I know several people at my workplace that have been sick with some sort of head and chest yuckiness. His doesn't appear to be the exact same thing, but it's close.
We have his clothes ready for work in the morning, but if this continues, I don't think he's going to feel well enough to go. If people would actually stay home when they're sick instead of using their sick time for stupid stuff, germs wouldn't get passed along so easily.
I've heard people say, "I'd come to work even if I was dying..."
Well, sorry, but I don't want your typhoid stomach virus bad cold flu whatever, so keep it at home.
"I HATE to miss."
I hate to miss too, so stay in bed and make at least one of us happy.
The dogs seem to know that Jack isn't feeling well and are being really quiet and nice tonight. They're smarter than they want us to realize most of the time - at least in a pinch, they cut us some slack.
Goodnight all.
1.28.2008
1.27.2008
Jack has gone to bed, and I'm not far behind him, but tonight it's my turn to get the dogs squared away, and they just aren't ready for that to happen.
Diva just insisted on going outside just a few minutes ago, and Jimmy is trolling around the perimeter of what's still lit like he's on the watch for vampires. Dudley is fairly calm, but he's been insistent upon nesting in my lap for the past three hours - no other place to sleep will apparently work for him...
And people say children are difficult - I don't see that they could be much moreso than the fur posse we support.
I've gotten in the habit of letting Dudley do his routine "business trips" without the leash as long as we're not in a big hurry. It seems to work well, and he's generally obedient enough to come when he's called in case he wanders too far from the door.
This morning he was taking a break outdoors when Jimmy ran the crack and escaped the house. Within seconds he'd collected Dudley, and the two boys were out of sight, last spotted running in the direction of the marina.
Jimmy knows better than to take off on a lengthy trip with Diva, because, quite frankly, she isn't going to go for it. Her shoulder bothers her after only a few minutes of hard running, and she doesn't like being far from the house, so Jimmy is out of luck when he tries to persuade her to run far and wild with him.
Dudley is another story.
Dudley is easily coerced and primed for manipulation. "Run to the dock, Jimmy? Sure, I'd LOVE to run to the dock with you. Let's go!"
That was the scene.
After about fifteen minutes with no dogs, except Diva, who was napping sweetly on the couch, Jack and I headed down the hill in the car.
Sure enough, there they were. Halfway down the hill and having a big time... Dudley had smears of something nasty all around his neck and ear area that had to be washed off as soon as we got home, and Jimmy still wasn't sure about getting in the car with us. Dudley at least didn't have to be asked twice - his smelly little butt loaded right up...
Now we're all ready to get the week started. Laundry done with towels and clothes ready to go in the morning. If only the dogs would finish getting ready for bed!
Sometimes the weekends JUST aren't long enough...
Diva just insisted on going outside just a few minutes ago, and Jimmy is trolling around the perimeter of what's still lit like he's on the watch for vampires. Dudley is fairly calm, but he's been insistent upon nesting in my lap for the past three hours - no other place to sleep will apparently work for him...
And people say children are difficult - I don't see that they could be much moreso than the fur posse we support.
I've gotten in the habit of letting Dudley do his routine "business trips" without the leash as long as we're not in a big hurry. It seems to work well, and he's generally obedient enough to come when he's called in case he wanders too far from the door.
This morning he was taking a break outdoors when Jimmy ran the crack and escaped the house. Within seconds he'd collected Dudley, and the two boys were out of sight, last spotted running in the direction of the marina.
Jimmy knows better than to take off on a lengthy trip with Diva, because, quite frankly, she isn't going to go for it. Her shoulder bothers her after only a few minutes of hard running, and she doesn't like being far from the house, so Jimmy is out of luck when he tries to persuade her to run far and wild with him.
Dudley is another story.
Dudley is easily coerced and primed for manipulation. "Run to the dock, Jimmy? Sure, I'd LOVE to run to the dock with you. Let's go!"
That was the scene.
After about fifteen minutes with no dogs, except Diva, who was napping sweetly on the couch, Jack and I headed down the hill in the car.
Sure enough, there they were. Halfway down the hill and having a big time... Dudley had smears of something nasty all around his neck and ear area that had to be washed off as soon as we got home, and Jimmy still wasn't sure about getting in the car with us. Dudley at least didn't have to be asked twice - his smelly little butt loaded right up...
Now we're all ready to get the week started. Laundry done with towels and clothes ready to go in the morning. If only the dogs would finish getting ready for bed!
Sometimes the weekends JUST aren't long enough...
1.26.2008
Saturday Evening Post
Right now a quiet Saturday afternoon at home includes having all three dogs either wrestling or sweetly napping together on the couch right behind me.
They've been pretty wild. I don't know if it's cold weather or still a result of spending time away from one another last weekend, but they're hopped up and ready to play.
Interestingly enough, although we boarded the neighbor's dog and he didn't see her for five days, we've heard absolutely nothing from him. He's actually home right now, but The Girl is here, doing her "here thing" with Jimmy and Dudley.
It feels more and more that she's becoming our dog - like if he moved tomorrow and she was outside and "take-able", he'd still leave her here, because we're giving her a good home.
I had lunch with a good friend on Thursday, and she inquired about The Girl, and that's what she thinks. She and her husband had a dog early in their relationship, but they were both working all the time and left the dog outside. Some people up the road would let the dog in the house, feed it and play with it, and eventually the dog didn't come home at all. She says she gave the dog credit for having enough sense to decide where he wanted to be and that maybe our neighbor is on that same plan. I wouldn't be surprised, and that's OK - she's a great dog, and we love having her as part of our family.
As you can tell in the picture I've included with this post, Dudley and The Girl have absolutely no problem getting along at all, but Dudley is anybody's friend that wants to snuggle. Jack says he woke up in the night last night, and Dudley was cuddled up with The Fuzz on the foot of our bed. Fuzz-Kitty is also a cuddler, so it's only natural that those two befriend one another. I think I'm going to take the camera into the bedroom tonight and hope to capture a repeat performance.
Our avocado appears to be recovering from the shock of getting too cold over the weekend while we were gone. Just because the house doesn't get cold enough for the pipes to freeze doesn't mean the houseplants are happy. By the time we got home, its leaves were drooping, and not the kind of droop that one gets from lack of water. It has perked up considerably now there's been a fire in the stove nearby for several days with plenty of water and opened curtains. Some of the leaves are definitely going to fall, but only a few, and we can always prune it back. It's not like a few days of being too cold are going to do any long-term damage.
The smaller plants seemed to do fine with the chill, but shamrocks are really hardy, and even if the cold kills them back, the rhizomes will put out new shoots as soon as the conditions return to what's appropriate. And it takes a lot to kill a yucca plant...
We're grilling steaks for dinner, so I may have to share pictures of that later. Jack always makes the most wonderful steaks, and it looks like his trip to the grocery store earlier netted some nice makin's for a tasty dinner!
Happy Weekend, everyone!!!
1.24.2008
Things have more-or-less returned to normal after our junket to the beach over the weekend.
I've got a bunch of stuff going on at work, and so does Jack. I had to go in early this morning for a meeting at 7:00 and left the house somewhere around 5:00 - the clock in the car read 5:02 when I cranked it up...
Since I missed all of rush hour traffic, I came rolling into work at 6:20! It's amazing how much my leaving time impacts my commute time. I had time to respond to some e-mails and grab a bite of breakfast before the meeting. Nice.
When I left the house this morning, Jack recommended that I take my heavy coat, since the forecast was for temperaturses to drop throughout the day, and I'm glad he had the forethought to let me know about that. WOW! the wind this afternoon was intense. I had to go to a meeting on the other side of town at 2:00, and when I stepped out the front door, it felt like I was walking into a big ice cream freezer. Good grief, I'm counting down the days until spring!
With the weather as cold as it is, the big dogs have been playing sliding door roulette, wanting in or out every fifteen minutes - get too hot, want out/get too cold want back in... I'm ready to strangle them both! Thank goodness it's almost bedtime - they always chill out and decide where they're going to sleep for the night (or at least the first part of it) when we start turning off lights. "The Girl" barks her head off until we let her out, then she almost immediately wants back in - we leave her outside until she starts acting like she's going to peel the screens out of the windows...
Jack is off this weekend and then again next Sunday for the big game. We're both looking more forward to the Super Bowl than we have in several years for some reason. Maybe it's the cold weather and current lack of diversional activities like our regular trips to the tennis court, but we're excited and hopeful that little Manning will be able to lead the Giants to victory. The Patriots are OK I guess, but how many times do they have to win the Super Bowl in this decade really?
Work is still going great, and I'm busier than ever. In looking across my schedule, I have an almost constant string of meetings happening - five scheduled for today, but one was cancelled... I'm one of those strange people that doesn't really mind meetings as long as they stay on track and are productive. So far all of the meetings I've attended with the exception of one have been great with meaningful discussion and participation. Thank God, I've finally landed in the right place!
I splurged on myself just a bit today on the way home and bought a gorgeous new tote bag. On sale this week PLUS I get an additional 20% off because of where I work!! It fits both my home and work laptops (not at the same time, of course) and holds about a half-dozen files in addition to my regular pocketbook stuff. My current briefcase is great - sturdy and still in great shape, but when I lug it around, I look like I'm going on a week-long trip! It's HUGE. Sometimes that's handy, like when traveling and have need for a bunch of crap, but for everyday use with all my comings and goings, it's too big and heavy to be practical or desirable. Aside from that, sometimes a girl just needs a new purse, and I happened to need one that can carry a computer, a handful of files, my day planner and some girlie stuff without being too obvious. Here's a picture - isn't it pretty?
I've got a bunch of stuff going on at work, and so does Jack. I had to go in early this morning for a meeting at 7:00 and left the house somewhere around 5:00 - the clock in the car read 5:02 when I cranked it up...
Since I missed all of rush hour traffic, I came rolling into work at 6:20! It's amazing how much my leaving time impacts my commute time. I had time to respond to some e-mails and grab a bite of breakfast before the meeting. Nice.
When I left the house this morning, Jack recommended that I take my heavy coat, since the forecast was for temperaturses to drop throughout the day, and I'm glad he had the forethought to let me know about that. WOW! the wind this afternoon was intense. I had to go to a meeting on the other side of town at 2:00, and when I stepped out the front door, it felt like I was walking into a big ice cream freezer. Good grief, I'm counting down the days until spring!
With the weather as cold as it is, the big dogs have been playing sliding door roulette, wanting in or out every fifteen minutes - get too hot, want out/get too cold want back in... I'm ready to strangle them both! Thank goodness it's almost bedtime - they always chill out and decide where they're going to sleep for the night (or at least the first part of it) when we start turning off lights. "The Girl" barks her head off until we let her out, then she almost immediately wants back in - we leave her outside until she starts acting like she's going to peel the screens out of the windows...
Jack is off this weekend and then again next Sunday for the big game. We're both looking more forward to the Super Bowl than we have in several years for some reason. Maybe it's the cold weather and current lack of diversional activities like our regular trips to the tennis court, but we're excited and hopeful that little Manning will be able to lead the Giants to victory. The Patriots are OK I guess, but how many times do they have to win the Super Bowl in this decade really?
Work is still going great, and I'm busier than ever. In looking across my schedule, I have an almost constant string of meetings happening - five scheduled for today, but one was cancelled... I'm one of those strange people that doesn't really mind meetings as long as they stay on track and are productive. So far all of the meetings I've attended with the exception of one have been great with meaningful discussion and participation. Thank God, I've finally landed in the right place!
I splurged on myself just a bit today on the way home and bought a gorgeous new tote bag. On sale this week PLUS I get an additional 20% off because of where I work!! It fits both my home and work laptops (not at the same time, of course) and holds about a half-dozen files in addition to my regular pocketbook stuff. My current briefcase is great - sturdy and still in great shape, but when I lug it around, I look like I'm going on a week-long trip! It's HUGE. Sometimes that's handy, like when traveling and have need for a bunch of crap, but for everyday use with all my comings and goings, it's too big and heavy to be practical or desirable. Aside from that, sometimes a girl just needs a new purse, and I happened to need one that can carry a computer, a handful of files, my day planner and some girlie stuff without being too obvious. Here's a picture - isn't it pretty?
1.21.2008
It feels so good to be home...
We enjoyed our time on the coast and were glad to spend time with Jack's parents and Bro-the-Pro's family, but it's always good to be back in one's own digs.
The trip was comfortable in the new car - moreso than we expected even. Things like dual temperature controls and navigation with voice guidance come in extremely handy. We're SO glad we went ahead and got all the bells and whistles. Neither Jack nor I are great with directions, so being able to punch in an address and have someone tell you exactly how to get there absolutely rocks!
Before we left today Jack's brother came by with his family, and we were able to visit with them a bit more. We'd had dinner with them at a local restaurant last night, but the atomsphere was loud, and we weren't able to get our chat finished. I've included a picture of their family - they really are cute.
Now that Jack's parents are there in the same town, which is MUCH closer to us than where they lived before, we look forward to more frequent visits and getting to know our little nephew better.
We cruised in a couple of hours ago, and the house was freezing cold, but luckily no frozen pipes or bad stuff - just freaked out cats that appear to have been afraid some horrible fate had befallen us to have left them alone for so long. Fuzz cried and yowled until he made sure that every door to the outside still worked and then needed some special snuggle time before he quieted down.
Now Jack has a roaring fire going in the stove, and the chill is starting to abate...
When we left St. Simon's, everyone was complaining about the "cold" temperatures, which were in the mid-40's - we came home to 12!! That's a cold you can complain about!!!
Well, it's horribly late, and Jack and I are finally getting beyond all the coffee we drank on the way home. At least neither of us has to work tomorrow, and we can sleep as late as we want before going to pick up our sweet doggies!
1.19.2008
Today was cold and rainy here on the coast, but Jack and I made the most of it with a trip to Christ Episcopal Church, which was originally founded in the 1730's as a mission of the Church of England by Charles and John Wesley. The church later was sanctioned as one of the eight original Protestant Episcopal Churches sometime in the 1750's. Along the way, Charles Wesley wrote a bunch of hymns and brother John founded Methodism.
There's a memorial to the Wesleys across the street from Christ Church, sort of tucked into the woods, and we made to short hike to see that. There's a beautiful Celtic cross that is just huge, but in reading the information about the memorial, it wasn't added until 1988.
The grounds of the church and surrounding cemetary are fabulous with multi-colored camellias growing everywhere. Since days like today are about the limit as far as cold weather here is concerned, camellias thrive, grow into huge bushes and bloom year-round. I was able to get a lot of gorgeous photographs of them during our walk through the cemetary in the misty rain...
I have now put together an online album of some of the best pictures I've taken so far on this trip, including the beach and our excursion today. It's now linked at the right where our Christmas pictures have been for the past few weeks.
Hooray - the pictures I took yesterday finally went "up" this morning...
I plan to put together another online album of photos from this trip, once it is complete, but how many more "good" pictures I'm able to take remains to be seen.
We've awakened to rain here on the island this morning, and the forecast is for it to continue the rest of the day. Yuck. Jack's parents had suggested that we take a drive to Jekyll Island and spend some time strolling around there, since it would be such a nice place to take pictures, but with the wet weather, we're not sure how much fun that would be.
I know there's something out there for us to get into, we just have to figure out what it is! If there's a lull in the rain activity, we could always head back to the beach... Yesterday's time there was nice but quite cold.
I plan to put together another online album of photos from this trip, once it is complete, but how many more "good" pictures I'm able to take remains to be seen.
We've awakened to rain here on the island this morning, and the forecast is for it to continue the rest of the day. Yuck. Jack's parents had suggested that we take a drive to Jekyll Island and spend some time strolling around there, since it would be such a nice place to take pictures, but with the wet weather, we're not sure how much fun that would be.
I know there's something out there for us to get into, we just have to figure out what it is! If there's a lull in the rain activity, we could always head back to the beach... Yesterday's time there was nice but quite cold.
1.18.2008
As perhaps you can guess by our updated title photograph, we're somewhere other than the lake for a few days...
Jack and I have traveled to help his parents get moved and settled into their new digs on the Atlantic coast, near Bro the Pro, a much more safe and convenient location than out in the middle of nowhere Florida. We alway enjoyed visits with "the folks" at their house down there, but an eighteen hour road-trip to Florida SHOULD end at the beach, not four hours from it!! Our favorite thing about the old house was its close proximity to the Highlands state park with this mile long deck out into the swamp where on a good day you'd see five big alligators and on a bad day you'd at least see one gigantic one that hangs out in relatively the same place. They have a sign warning people that walking dogs into the gator area is not recommended... Jack and I always kind of cringe to think that such a sign is even necessary!
And speaking of dogs - ours, and even the one that isn't, are all being cared for while we're on this excusion. Kudos to Mom and Dad for taking care of Dudley and Jimmy, who'd just as soon pull your arm off as look at you when there's a cat to be chased. Diva, the Girl, is staying with Miss Renee, a professional boarder, since we weren't comfortable with Mom and Dad having to keep a dog that (a) isn't ours to start with and (b) has a tendency to bring out Jimmy's wild side. She isn't accustomed to being on a leash and the logistics seemed to make more sense with her staying elsewhere, at least this time.
We helped get a few things done around here today and ran errands across the causeway this evening. I might be in favor of legislation to require signage directing folk to the nearest Wal-Mart, like what is required for hospitals... Generally America's largest retailer is easy to find, but tonight after much tinkering with our navigation system and a trip through a shipyard, we stopped for directions and were there within minutes, thank goodness! At one point I would've probably handed over my eye-teeth for a box of Cheez-Its, a half-gallon of Pine-Sol and two quarts of pre-liquored egg nog, all actual items from the "to get" list we were given...
I had some concerns, since pre-liquored egg nog is a seasonal item, and we're deep into January, but luckily it doesn't seem to have been a big-seller at J.P.'s Fine Spirits and Wine...
We did find some time to walk on the beach this afternoon, and it was nice to have some "us time" since this IS Jack's birthday. Happy Birthday, Jack!
On our way back from errands we stopped at a sushi bar that we'd spotted earlier in the afternoon. Jack prefers sushi on his birthday, and I think we've managed to have it every year we've been together except perhaps one when it snowed and we had steak, but anyway. We got an order to go and were underwhelmed by the food. The guy seemed to rush through preparing it, and the quality did suffer. I've told Jack I'll make it up to him at one of the good sushi places where we eat frequently. At least our stop at Target netted us some tasty chocolates and "birthday goodies" ha ha!
I haven't been able to get pictures to load online - perhaps tomorrow!
Jack and I have traveled to help his parents get moved and settled into their new digs on the Atlantic coast, near Bro the Pro, a much more safe and convenient location than out in the middle of nowhere Florida. We alway enjoyed visits with "the folks" at their house down there, but an eighteen hour road-trip to Florida SHOULD end at the beach, not four hours from it!! Our favorite thing about the old house was its close proximity to the Highlands state park with this mile long deck out into the swamp where on a good day you'd see five big alligators and on a bad day you'd at least see one gigantic one that hangs out in relatively the same place. They have a sign warning people that walking dogs into the gator area is not recommended... Jack and I always kind of cringe to think that such a sign is even necessary!
And speaking of dogs - ours, and even the one that isn't, are all being cared for while we're on this excusion. Kudos to Mom and Dad for taking care of Dudley and Jimmy, who'd just as soon pull your arm off as look at you when there's a cat to be chased. Diva, the Girl, is staying with Miss Renee, a professional boarder, since we weren't comfortable with Mom and Dad having to keep a dog that (a) isn't ours to start with and (b) has a tendency to bring out Jimmy's wild side. She isn't accustomed to being on a leash and the logistics seemed to make more sense with her staying elsewhere, at least this time.
We helped get a few things done around here today and ran errands across the causeway this evening. I might be in favor of legislation to require signage directing folk to the nearest Wal-Mart, like what is required for hospitals... Generally America's largest retailer is easy to find, but tonight after much tinkering with our navigation system and a trip through a shipyard, we stopped for directions and were there within minutes, thank goodness! At one point I would've probably handed over my eye-teeth for a box of Cheez-Its, a half-gallon of Pine-Sol and two quarts of pre-liquored egg nog, all actual items from the "to get" list we were given...
I had some concerns, since pre-liquored egg nog is a seasonal item, and we're deep into January, but luckily it doesn't seem to have been a big-seller at J.P.'s Fine Spirits and Wine...
We did find some time to walk on the beach this afternoon, and it was nice to have some "us time" since this IS Jack's birthday. Happy Birthday, Jack!
On our way back from errands we stopped at a sushi bar that we'd spotted earlier in the afternoon. Jack prefers sushi on his birthday, and I think we've managed to have it every year we've been together except perhaps one when it snowed and we had steak, but anyway. We got an order to go and were underwhelmed by the food. The guy seemed to rush through preparing it, and the quality did suffer. I've told Jack I'll make it up to him at one of the good sushi places where we eat frequently. At least our stop at Target netted us some tasty chocolates and "birthday goodies" ha ha!
I haven't been able to get pictures to load online - perhaps tomorrow!
1.16.2008
1.13.2008
And then it was Sunday -
We're actually getting some precip right now - little spits of cold rain. We'd initially thought we might get something icy, but it's still too warm out, and considering the week we have ahead of us, that's a good thing.
On New Year's Day I potted up some hyacinth bulbs and put one in the glass that Cynthia gave me a few Christmases ago, and we're starting to see some good activity. It seems that the ones I potted in a little bit of soil are progressing more quickly than those that are in either just water or water and a few handfuls of rocks. One is already showing a bloom, and it smells divine when you put your nose right up next to it.
I think I may have to relocate one or two of my bulbs-in-progress to the sunny ledge in the office - I think they'd like it there.
We're actually getting some precip right now - little spits of cold rain. We'd initially thought we might get something icy, but it's still too warm out, and considering the week we have ahead of us, that's a good thing.
On New Year's Day I potted up some hyacinth bulbs and put one in the glass that Cynthia gave me a few Christmases ago, and we're starting to see some good activity. It seems that the ones I potted in a little bit of soil are progressing more quickly than those that are in either just water or water and a few handfuls of rocks. One is already showing a bloom, and it smells divine when you put your nose right up next to it.
I think I may have to relocate one or two of my bulbs-in-progress to the sunny ledge in the office - I think they'd like it there.
1.12.2008
Saturday Evening Post
Happy Saturday everyone!
I had a fun week at work, but my goodness I was glad to see the weekend roll around... Absolutely exhausted, I slept about twelve hours last night and still felt like I could've taken a nap this afternoon but didn't for fear of ruining my sleep tonight.
Jack had to work today but has ended up getting the day off tomorrow, which is wonderful and will give us a chance to get a few things done around the house.
Earlier this week our garbage disposal died a miserable, noisy death, so a trip to Lowe's and replacement of that is definitely on the list. I think we're going to go ahead and get a new faucet/sprayer set while we're at it and take care of the whole she-bang at once. We've replaced the faucet "ball" three times already, and our sprayer is worn out to the point that it leaks when we use it, so it's time.
The next kitchen improvement after that will be replacing the linoleum, since the floor is in practically the same shape as the disposal. The flooring that's there is what came with the house 15 years ago and is "original", and since the woman that built the house only used it as a weekend place, she didn't pick anything heavy duty for either the kitchen or the bathrooms. We'd love to do some heavy-duty tiles, but that involves all kinds of work, putting special stuff underneath the tiles and whatnot. Neither of us have ever tiled anything, and while there ARE classes on how to do that, we're not inclined to undertake such a massive project. Yes, we could hire someone to do it, but that's expensive, and we're planning to expand the kitchen in a couple of years, so it doesn't make sense at this point. We'll probably compromise and get some nice peel & stick tile as a weekend project in the spring.
I had a fun week at work, but my goodness I was glad to see the weekend roll around... Absolutely exhausted, I slept about twelve hours last night and still felt like I could've taken a nap this afternoon but didn't for fear of ruining my sleep tonight.
Jack had to work today but has ended up getting the day off tomorrow, which is wonderful and will give us a chance to get a few things done around the house.
Earlier this week our garbage disposal died a miserable, noisy death, so a trip to Lowe's and replacement of that is definitely on the list. I think we're going to go ahead and get a new faucet/sprayer set while we're at it and take care of the whole she-bang at once. We've replaced the faucet "ball" three times already, and our sprayer is worn out to the point that it leaks when we use it, so it's time.
The next kitchen improvement after that will be replacing the linoleum, since the floor is in practically the same shape as the disposal. The flooring that's there is what came with the house 15 years ago and is "original", and since the woman that built the house only used it as a weekend place, she didn't pick anything heavy duty for either the kitchen or the bathrooms. We'd love to do some heavy-duty tiles, but that involves all kinds of work, putting special stuff underneath the tiles and whatnot. Neither of us have ever tiled anything, and while there ARE classes on how to do that, we're not inclined to undertake such a massive project. Yes, we could hire someone to do it, but that's expensive, and we're planning to expand the kitchen in a couple of years, so it doesn't make sense at this point. We'll probably compromise and get some nice peel & stick tile as a weekend project in the spring.
1.09.2008
I love having an office again -- it's great! It has a window with a view of my former place of employment - how funny is that?
The building that I'm in is the oldest one on campus, and you can tell it's an old building, but the office is big, and I have plenty of privacy to get my work done. Aside from that I have my very own little radiator, so I can stay just as toasty warm as I like!! I don't know what that's going to be like in the summertime - especially in the afternoons with the sun beating down on my back through those huge windows, but I've been told that this office location is only temporary and that I'll be moving back over into one of the newer buildings where I'm not so isolated from the others in my group (and everyone else in the place - the other occupants of the floor I'm on are packing to move to a new place off-campus, so soon I really will be all alone!)
The job is going great, and I'm having a blast. Today I had lunch with the physician advisor for my department's function, which was cool. I've never HAD lunch in the physician's dining room before today. Not that it was anything fancy or all woo-woo, but it did feel like a milestone moment - sitting there with a doctor who's asking me questions about my philosophy of quality and how I feel we need to approach certain problems because he's actually interested in knowing. Wow. It was too cool!
Jack and I are looking forward to a few days off together the end of next week. There's quite a lot that we have to get accomplished during our time off, and some of that stuff isn't going to be a lot of fun, but at least we'll be together. We WILL manage to have some fun somehow at some point!
Well, it's bedtime - 4:30 comes early!
The building that I'm in is the oldest one on campus, and you can tell it's an old building, but the office is big, and I have plenty of privacy to get my work done. Aside from that I have my very own little radiator, so I can stay just as toasty warm as I like!! I don't know what that's going to be like in the summertime - especially in the afternoons with the sun beating down on my back through those huge windows, but I've been told that this office location is only temporary and that I'll be moving back over into one of the newer buildings where I'm not so isolated from the others in my group (and everyone else in the place - the other occupants of the floor I'm on are packing to move to a new place off-campus, so soon I really will be all alone!)
The job is going great, and I'm having a blast. Today I had lunch with the physician advisor for my department's function, which was cool. I've never HAD lunch in the physician's dining room before today. Not that it was anything fancy or all woo-woo, but it did feel like a milestone moment - sitting there with a doctor who's asking me questions about my philosophy of quality and how I feel we need to approach certain problems because he's actually interested in knowing. Wow. It was too cool!
Jack and I are looking forward to a few days off together the end of next week. There's quite a lot that we have to get accomplished during our time off, and some of that stuff isn't going to be a lot of fun, but at least we'll be together. We WILL manage to have some fun somehow at some point!
Well, it's bedtime - 4:30 comes early!
1.08.2008
It was a dark and stormy night...
Yes, with the new moon's "no moon" effect and a big line of thunderstorms moving through the area tonight, we truly had the dark, stormy thing happening.
I'm glad that we're getting some rain, and nothing was very severe, so it's all good. The wind blew all day and really got cranked up on the front edge of these storms - I was afraid we might have some truly bad weather, but it wasn't the case locally. I believe the front was much stronger when it moved through points west of here. We only lost our satellite for a few minutes, and our lights didn't so much as blink.
Now the rain has passed, it's still windy and getting cold, but hell fire, it's January - we're not SUPPOSED to have 70 degree days!!
I'm glad that we're getting some rain, and nothing was very severe, so it's all good. The wind blew all day and really got cranked up on the front edge of these storms - I was afraid we might have some truly bad weather, but it wasn't the case locally. I believe the front was much stronger when it moved through points west of here. We only lost our satellite for a few minutes, and our lights didn't so much as blink.
Now the rain has passed, it's still windy and getting cold, but hell fire, it's January - we're not SUPPOSED to have 70 degree days!!
1.06.2008
Game Day Update
Wow, what a letdown the Titans game ended up being... I don't know that any of us were truly expecting another Music City Miracle, but a real touchdown would've been nice.
One of Tennessee's current problems with offense is that it's become entirely too dependent upon Beronis' field goal kicking for cheap points, and today's loss to the Chargers only underscores how crucial it is to actually take the ball into the end zone in big games. The Titans were completely out-played and out-classed by both the offense and defense of San Diego, and by the early fourth quarter it was clear that the Titans lacked the strength and wile to pull out a victory.
Better luck next season, guys!
One of Tennessee's current problems with offense is that it's become entirely too dependent upon Beronis' field goal kicking for cheap points, and today's loss to the Chargers only underscores how crucial it is to actually take the ball into the end zone in big games. The Titans were completely out-played and out-classed by both the offense and defense of San Diego, and by the early fourth quarter it was clear that the Titans lacked the strength and wile to pull out a victory.
Better luck next season, guys!
Feetball Anyone?
Jack and I are gearing up to watch the big play-off game this afternoon.
We haven't watched THAT much football this season, but now that the Titans are in the wildcard playoffs, we can't help but be excited for the "home team". I don't know that we'll fall back into our old habit of setting off bottle-rockets each time they score, but we checked in the closet earlier this morning, and we DO have plenty of leftovers from July 4th and could easily help everyone in the neighborhood "keep score".
We were on that program back in 2000 when the "Music City Miracle" occurred and Tennessee won over Buffalo in what is probably one of the greatest final seconds victories in NFL history. In case you don't remember --
With less than two minutes to go in the final quarter of the game, the Titans took the lead 15 - 13. No timeouts remaining, the Bills drove the ball down the field to the Titans' 25 yard line. Steve Christie, the Bills' kicker, knocked down a 41 yard field goal to put Buffalo in the lead 16 - 15.
Moments later, Christie kicked off with the Titans' Lorenzo Neal receiving. Neal handed the ball off to the great Frank Wychek, who lateraled the ball to the fabulous Kevin Dyson, who ran LIKE A CHEETAH down the sidelines for a 75-yard, absolutely awesome, game-winning touchdown.
In case you'd like to see it again, just for old times' sake (and to see how much Jeff Fisher has aged in eight years), I'm including a YouTube link here on the blog.
We haven't watched THAT much football this season, but now that the Titans are in the wildcard playoffs, we can't help but be excited for the "home team". I don't know that we'll fall back into our old habit of setting off bottle-rockets each time they score, but we checked in the closet earlier this morning, and we DO have plenty of leftovers from July 4th and could easily help everyone in the neighborhood "keep score".
We were on that program back in 2000 when the "Music City Miracle" occurred and Tennessee won over Buffalo in what is probably one of the greatest final seconds victories in NFL history. In case you don't remember --
With less than two minutes to go in the final quarter of the game, the Titans took the lead 15 - 13. No timeouts remaining, the Bills drove the ball down the field to the Titans' 25 yard line. Steve Christie, the Bills' kicker, knocked down a 41 yard field goal to put Buffalo in the lead 16 - 15.
Moments later, Christie kicked off with the Titans' Lorenzo Neal receiving. Neal handed the ball off to the great Frank Wychek, who lateraled the ball to the fabulous Kevin Dyson, who ran LIKE A CHEETAH down the sidelines for a 75-yard, absolutely awesome, game-winning touchdown.
In case you'd like to see it again, just for old times' sake (and to see how much Jeff Fisher has aged in eight years), I'm including a YouTube link here on the blog.
1.05.2008
Three Cheers for Dad!
Rah! Rah! Rah!
Dad called earlier today to see if we were going to be home, because he planned to bring us a load of wood for our stove. As we had no plans, we told him to 'bring it on' and were surprised to see just how much wood he brought. It was a huge load - the truck bed was full, but it didn't take too long to get it unloaded. I can't believe Dad was able to manage some of those huge pieces by himself. We asked if he'd used the front-end loader of the new tractor, but no, he'd done it by hand.
Anyway, we're set on wood for a little while. Some of this is the result of the summer's drought that killed a few large trees in their yard. Even many of the big pieces are already dry and will be easy to burn. Oak and hickory - good stuff.
So, thanks Dad!
Jack and I have had a great day, even though the weather was cold and dreary. It's rare that we have two weekends in a row together, so we've made the most of it. There are still a few things left on our "to do" list, but tonight we're going to kick back and watch football and just rest. I may work on some more laundry or I may put it off until tomorrow. We'll just have to see.
Jack had to go to Lowe's to pick up a few items to fix our outside water faucet which froze earlier this week despite being insulated and covered. It's just a gasket, I think - nothing major, and Jack believes it will be easy to fix. As cold as it was a couple of nights this week, we're lucky nothing else froze!
We still LOVE the new car. I'm averaging 36+ miles per galllon during the week on my commute where a lot of the driving is just sailing along on the interstate.
Dad called earlier today to see if we were going to be home, because he planned to bring us a load of wood for our stove. As we had no plans, we told him to 'bring it on' and were surprised to see just how much wood he brought. It was a huge load - the truck bed was full, but it didn't take too long to get it unloaded. I can't believe Dad was able to manage some of those huge pieces by himself. We asked if he'd used the front-end loader of the new tractor, but no, he'd done it by hand.
Anyway, we're set on wood for a little while. Some of this is the result of the summer's drought that killed a few large trees in their yard. Even many of the big pieces are already dry and will be easy to burn. Oak and hickory - good stuff.
So, thanks Dad!
Jack and I have had a great day, even though the weather was cold and dreary. It's rare that we have two weekends in a row together, so we've made the most of it. There are still a few things left on our "to do" list, but tonight we're going to kick back and watch football and just rest. I may work on some more laundry or I may put it off until tomorrow. We'll just have to see.
Jack had to go to Lowe's to pick up a few items to fix our outside water faucet which froze earlier this week despite being insulated and covered. It's just a gasket, I think - nothing major, and Jack believes it will be easy to fix. As cold as it was a couple of nights this week, we're lucky nothing else froze!
We still LOVE the new car. I'm averaging 36+ miles per galllon during the week on my commute where a lot of the driving is just sailing along on the interstate.
1.02.2008
Three Months 'til Spring
Jack and I both had to go back to work today, and boy, was this morning a raw and cold one to have to head out early. The temperature was around 15 degrees when we walked the dogs.
Poor Dudley apparently HATES the cold weather - I have NEVER seen a dog get his business taken care of so quickly. He'd use the porch if we let him. Once he gets a little revved up, though, he's like the other dogs and gets frisky and playful - he's just more than ready to get back inside when we head toward the house.
The car did great this morning, starting in the cold, and within a few minutes, the heater was putting out great warmth and the seat-heater had my backside toasty-warm! Too bad I couldn't have just worked in the car today - the office I'm working in is near a main door with a hallway that was like a refrigerator today. Twice I had to put on my big coat as I was working - that's entirely too cold. I have a little space heater that I could use, but I hate to take it before I move in at my permanent office assignment, which will hopefully occur sooner than later, as I'm feeling "at home" and would very much like to settle into a location. A nest, if you will...
Tonight it's still bitterly cold, and our low is supposed to be around 15 again, but we finally have the fire stoked and burning nicely, so the house has warmed up since we both got home. I had to drag out the aforementioned space heater for about an hour just to help get us a little more comfortable while we waited for the fire to catch up --
All's toasty now!
Poor Dudley apparently HATES the cold weather - I have NEVER seen a dog get his business taken care of so quickly. He'd use the porch if we let him. Once he gets a little revved up, though, he's like the other dogs and gets frisky and playful - he's just more than ready to get back inside when we head toward the house.
The car did great this morning, starting in the cold, and within a few minutes, the heater was putting out great warmth and the seat-heater had my backside toasty-warm! Too bad I couldn't have just worked in the car today - the office I'm working in is near a main door with a hallway that was like a refrigerator today. Twice I had to put on my big coat as I was working - that's entirely too cold. I have a little space heater that I could use, but I hate to take it before I move in at my permanent office assignment, which will hopefully occur sooner than later, as I'm feeling "at home" and would very much like to settle into a location. A nest, if you will...
Tonight it's still bitterly cold, and our low is supposed to be around 15 again, but we finally have the fire stoked and burning nicely, so the house has warmed up since we both got home. I had to drag out the aforementioned space heater for about an hour just to help get us a little more comfortable while we waited for the fire to catch up --
All's toasty now!
1.01.2008
And with Just a Pinch of Snow...
The new year couldn't have gotten off to a better start...
A cleaning binge, a Tennessee victory, black-eyed peas that ended up tasting delicious to an anti-black-eyed pea person, a refreshing walk, snuggling with dogs and each other, and even a little bit of snow to make the day complete.
This afternoon while Jack was on a trip to McTown to check on his folks' place and make a grocery run, I wandered up the hill with the camera, and once there, I could see the snow coming twenty miles away.
A few minutes after I got home and re-kindled the fire, Jack called to let me know he was driving through snow. By the time any flakes arrived here, it was already too dark to really see them fall, but we did end up with a gentle frosting on the deck and throughout the yard.
Find the Deer
I'd staked out these three deer and was set up for a great picture when the man we know only as "Larry's Daddy" (Larry being this sweet, black, mixed-breed dog that hangs out at the marina) came steam-rolling up the hill in his old Jeep truck, disturbing the trio and leaving me only with a "find it" picture.
And remember, solving life's puzzles is its own reward, so no prizes will be presented.
It's the beginning of the year, and I've already done some good things today to hopefully help establish some good habits that will continue throughout.
First of all, I ate breakfast - real cereal with real milk, which made both my husband and my stomach happy.
Then I sorted through a hamper of clothes that neither Jack nor I have dealt with in several weeks - it's out-of-season stuff that simply hasn't been on the radar priority-wise - so now that stuff is all out of the way.
Jack's sisters are planning to have a yard sale at their family's house in McTown sometime this spring, so I went through one of our utensil drawers in the kitchen sorting the contents. Wow, it's amazing how many relatively useless little scoops we've accumulated, and for the record, if you're ever with me in Dollar Tree and I pick up a 3-pack of little scoops, make me put them back no matter how cute they are. There was stuff in that drawer that I bought when I lived in that first crappy little apartment and haven't used since, though I did bother to move three times.
Now we have a yard sale box full of such treasure - someone will surely pay a nickel for a Chinese-made, mystery-metal garlic press that quite possibly comes with a free lead poisoning or a meat fork with a cracked blue plastic handle and one sligtly warped prong. I know, I know - I'll be lucky to get a nickel for the whole boxful of crap, but it'll take if off my hands without me feeling the guilt of throwing "good stuff" away.
Some of it's good - measuring spoons, for instance - I think there are three complete sets of little plastic measuring spoons that we've either never used or haven't used in a long time. They're nice and would be great if we had a "vacation home at the lake" (ha ha) or a camper to outfit, but we don't think it makes sense to purchase a travel-trailer just to have a place to put that cute set of red measuring spoons or the four extra plastic pitchers.
Back to my original point, though - I've had a productive day today.
UT won its bowl game, so now all that's left to be done is eat some of Jack's lucky New Year's fare - black-eyed peas, turnip greens, and cornbread and look forward to a GREAT 2008!
Happy New Year to All!!!
First of all, I ate breakfast - real cereal with real milk, which made both my husband and my stomach happy.
Then I sorted through a hamper of clothes that neither Jack nor I have dealt with in several weeks - it's out-of-season stuff that simply hasn't been on the radar priority-wise - so now that stuff is all out of the way.
Jack's sisters are planning to have a yard sale at their family's house in McTown sometime this spring, so I went through one of our utensil drawers in the kitchen sorting the contents. Wow, it's amazing how many relatively useless little scoops we've accumulated, and for the record, if you're ever with me in Dollar Tree and I pick up a 3-pack of little scoops, make me put them back no matter how cute they are. There was stuff in that drawer that I bought when I lived in that first crappy little apartment and haven't used since, though I did bother to move three times.
Now we have a yard sale box full of such treasure - someone will surely pay a nickel for a Chinese-made, mystery-metal garlic press that quite possibly comes with a free lead poisoning or a meat fork with a cracked blue plastic handle and one sligtly warped prong. I know, I know - I'll be lucky to get a nickel for the whole boxful of crap, but it'll take if off my hands without me feeling the guilt of throwing "good stuff" away.
Some of it's good - measuring spoons, for instance - I think there are three complete sets of little plastic measuring spoons that we've either never used or haven't used in a long time. They're nice and would be great if we had a "vacation home at the lake" (ha ha) or a camper to outfit, but we don't think it makes sense to purchase a travel-trailer just to have a place to put that cute set of red measuring spoons or the four extra plastic pitchers.
Back to my original point, though - I've had a productive day today.
UT won its bowl game, so now all that's left to be done is eat some of Jack's lucky New Year's fare - black-eyed peas, turnip greens, and cornbread and look forward to a GREAT 2008!
Happy New Year to All!!!
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